ProjectSpurs-Stats of the Game: Spurs vs. Hornets - The San Antonio Spurs improved to an NBA best 17-3, matching their best start in franchise history (2007-2008 season) by beating the New Hornets 109-84. Unlike their two first meetings, this one was a blowout. The Spurs never trailed and even led by 38 points at one point in the game. Let's take a look at the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' recent win. READ MORE

Ginobili: ‘I got run over by a train’ - Spurs guard Manu Ginobili came off the court in the third quarter of Sunday’s 109-84 victory over New Orleans rubbing his neck after a collision with Emeka Okafor. “I thought I got run over by a train,” Ginobili said. “Okafor was coming from the weak side, and got me in the back. He probably didn’t see me in there. It was hard, but I think I’ll be fine.” READ MORE

Miller's role expanding - Rockets lean on versatile vet to push offense. There was little chance on the final shot, a falling heave of a 3-pointer that Brad Miller could not get off cleanly. But as it fell far short of the rim in the last second of Saturday's overtime loss in Chicago, Miller fell to the floor and remained there, as if he was stunned his last chance came up short. Miller could have thought of the previous 3, a far better look that missed. He could have, in that moment alone on the United Center court, lamented the final seconds of regulation when Derrick Rose drilled his trey to force the overtime. READ MORE

Rockets notes: Squad looks to make move at home - The Rockets return home six games under .500. But after three wins last week in a five-game stretch of home games against the Thunder and Lakers and road games in Dallas, Memphis and Chicago, their next four opponents are below .500. Three of those games are in Toyota Center, where the Rockets have a three-game winning streak. "I think we have to make a move," Rockets guard Kyle Lowry said. "I don't think we look at the schedule far down … but we have a nice little homestand coming up. This is the time we need to make a move before the All-Star break in February. We need to do something. We got to get back to .500 and go from there." READ MORE

Mavericks' Jason Kidd won't let teammate's flub slide by - After their defense bailed them out -- something that's becoming more common and less awkward to say -- the Dallas Mavericks could laugh about it in the locker room after surviving a Saturday night in Sacramento. But Jason Kidd couldn't let his teammate off the hook. He knows that some of the things the Mavericks did in their 105-103 win over the Kings won't fly against elite teams, and even the euphoria of a nine-game winning streak couldn't mask Kidd's concern. When J.J. Barea clanked two free throws with 11.8 seconds to go and a chance to ice the game, it meant the Mavericks had to make a defensive play to hang on for the win. READ MORE

Dirk: Tyson Chandler is Mavs' MVP so far - The Mavericks have played 20 games, which almost precisely computes to one-fourth of the schedule. Which means that the window is open to talk MVPs for the first quarter of the season. The obvious choice, as always, is Dirk Nowitzki, who at 32 is shooting the ball better than he ever has (55.3 percent from the field) and averaging his usual 25-and-8. Nowitzki’s choice, though, is Tyson Chandler. READ MORE

Increased resources make Rangers major players - For the first time in several years, the Rangers enter this week's Winter Meetings with money to spend, but that doesn't mean they will be handing out big contracts to just anyone. READ MORE

Vlad seeking two-year deal to return to Rangers - Following his All-Star season in Arlington, Vladimir Guerrero is said to be seeking a three-year deal in free agency, but sources say he'd return to the Rangers for a two-year pact. READ MORE

Houston plans to choose its spots at Meetings - Astros GM Ed Wade has already said he doesn't expect his team to be as active as it was at last year's Winter Meetings. But the club is definitely going to try to fill some areas of need. READ MORE

Astros look to be smart shoppers at Meetings - GM Wade has specific positions that he is looking to shore up. The Astros have set up shop at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort, where the lobby will buzz with the sounds of reporters trying to track down general managers and other baseball officials in search of stories. It's the familiar stage of baseball's annual Winter Meetings. The Astros, led by president of baseball operations Tal Smith and general manager Ed Wade, arrived in full force on Sunday, committed to trying to find ways to improve the club for 2011. READ MORE

Cowboys' defense intercepts win from Manning, Colts - From the Colts' viewpoint, what happened here last Sunday night was a product of San Diego's No. 1-ranked defense. Surely the same awful things would not transpire when facing the Cowboys' 23rd-ranked defense. True enough. The Chargers took control of that game in the third quarter. The Cowboys did not secure victory Sunday until the game had gone beyond the fourth quarter. But rookie Sean Lee's second interception of the day – the fourth by a Cowboy – set up David Buehler's game-winning 38-yard field goal as Dallas pulled off a wild 38-35 overtime victory at Lucas Oil Stadium. READ MORE

Jerry Jones: Injured WR Dez Bryant must 'be mature, be more grown up about the situation he's in' - Dez Bryant's rookie season with the Cowboys ended Sunday much as it started: with an ankle injury. Bryant fractured the right ankle while returning a kickoff during the fourth quarter of the win against Indianapolis. On the fateful return, Bryant was trapped behind blocker Victor Butler and pulled down from behind by Kavell Conner. Bryant was unable to put weight on the foot as he was helped from the field. He was the first player out of the locker room, using crutches to get to a post-game buffet in a hallway. "I ain't talking to you guys," Bryant said. READ MORE

Jerry Jones reluctant to praise Jason Garrett - Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones likes what he sees from the Cowboys under interim coach Jason Garrett, but not happy enough to take interim off his title. He reminded reporters that Garrett was the offensive coordinator under Wade Phillips during Dallas' 1-7 start. ``What is real important that we all understand is that we all were a part of the huge disappointment,'' Jones said. ``What you're seeing from me is just a reluctance to get all gunned up over how we're doing when we've had a disappointing year. READ MORE

Texans have to be able to close, Kubiak says - "The day after their defense blew another game, the Texans got some good news on the injury front. Receiver Andre Johnnson, who caught six passes for 149 yards in Thursday's 34-24 loss at Philadelphia, got good results from the MRI on his high ankle sprain. "He tweaked it again," coach Gary Kubiak said. "He got the shot and played very well. The tests showed no significant changes. We'll continue to treat him as we have been." The NFL announced today that strong safety Bernard Pollard has been fined $40,000 for unnecessary roughness in the Tennessee game. He was fined for hitting Titans receiver Justin Gage, a defenseless player, in the head area on an incompletion. READ MORE

Texans playing from behind again - "The Texans are the most consistent team in the NFL. After losing 34-24 at Philadelphia, the Texans are 5-7 for the fourth consecutive season. The Texans finished 3-1 and 3-1 to close with 8-8 records in Gary Kubiak's second (2007) and third (2008) seasons. They won their last four games last season to finish 9-7 to earn their first winning record. The Texans have four games left — Baltimore at Reliant Stadium, at Tennessee, at Denver and Jacksonville at home. The AFC South title is attainable for each of its four residents, but the Texans' defense is so bad this season, especially with pass coverage, that another strong finish may not be possible. READ MORE

Texas Teams are Going Bowling! - Texas is being represented by 6 great teams. We here at MVPTexas congratulate each team and are proud you will be representing the Great State of Texas. READ MORE

No. 2 Baylor crushes Minnesota, 103-56 - Second-ranked Baylor now has an extended break for exams before its next big test on the court. READ MORE

Texas Bowl: Baylor will face Illinois in first bowl appearance in 16 years - The Baylor Bears will be excited to celebrate Christmas this year. But four days later, they'll enjoy their long-awaited present. On Sunday, the Bears (7-5) accepted an invitation to face Illinois (6-6) in the Texas Bowl, which will be played at Houston's Reliant Stadium. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. on Dec. 29. READ MORE

Texas Tech to play Northwestern in TicketCity Bowl; Baylor gets Illinois in Texas Bowl - The bowl picture for a number of Big 12 South teams is beginning to clear up. Texas Tech (7-5) and Baylor (7-5) were two teams waiting for an invite, with Houston and Dallas being the most logical bowl game locations. The Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein tweeted earlier this afternoon that Texas Tech will receive an invite to the TicketCity bowl in Dallas, where they'll play Northwestern from the Big Ten conference. READ MORE

Men's basketball: UNT holds off Tigers - It was only a matter of time before Kedrick Hogans put together his complete game. The junior sat out the 2009-10 season due to injury, but poured in a career-high 17 points in pacing North Texas to a 70-64 win at Texas Southern on Saturday night. READ MORE

Women's basketball: UNT skid reaches 7 games - Despite career highs from Brittney Hudson and Kasondra Foreman, the North Texas upset bid fell short in a 66-60 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum. READ MORE

Football: McCarney known for charisma, work ethic - Jamie Bermel wandered into the weight room at Iowa State on a fall morning a few years ago and found himself at a loss for words when he ran into Dan McCarney. Bermel was a low man on the totem pole as ISU’s golf coach and didn’t want to bother McCarney following a loss to Oklahoma. READ MORE

SMU Mustangs to meet Army Black Knights in Armed Forces Bowl - Army (6-5) The Black Knights won't worry about SMU for another week, as they finish their regular season Saturday in the annual, pageantry-filled Army-Navy game in Philadelphia. Army slid into the Armed Forces Bowl after the Mountain West vacated its spot because TCU earned a BCS bowl berth. Army is playing in its first bowl since 1996. Army averages 260.3 rushing yards per game, ranked 10th best in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Fullback Jared Hassin averages 80.1 rushing yards per game. READ MORE

SMU coach June Jones will go up against a familiar face in bowl - Army coach Rich Ellerson recounted Sunday a story from when he and SMU coach June Jones were young coaches at Hawaii, preparing to face Air Force, a triple-option team. READ MORE

TCU stadium comes tumbling down - Thirty seconds after 10 celebrity plunger pushers - including head football coach Gary Patterson - got things started, the west grandstand of Amon Carter Stadium at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth came crashing down Sunday. A new west side will be constructed as part of a $105 million modernization project. READ MORE

It's official: TCU will make its first Rose Bowl appearance against Wisconsin Badgers. - TCU coach Gary Patterson went biblical Sunday. Maybe it was the history-rich tradition of the Rose Bowl, or the gravity of the moment in his program's rise to the top echelon of college football that had Patterson reaching for Old Testament metaphors after the Horned Frogs were invited to face Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. READ MORE

Every ballot revealed: Which coach had A&M at No. 11 in the nation? Which coach voted TCU No. 1? - USA Today released a very interesting interactive graphic that shows how each coach that votes in the USA Today coaches poll voted on their final ballot. You can view it here.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2010-final-coaches-ballots.htm?loc=interstitialskip READ MORE

Longhorns lose first true road game to USC, 73-56 - Five thoughts from tonight's Texas-USC game: 1. Texas came out flat and was not ready to play at all. You'd think Jordan Hamilton would have been pumped up to play in his hometown of Los Angeles, but the sophomore forward, who had been averaging 21.7 points per game through the first seven contests, only scored 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half. READ MORE

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic officials completed their pairing Sunday, gaining a perfect bookend to Texas A&M in LSU. - Officials were enthusiastic about hosting the 50th meeting between LSU and Texas A&M and the first since 1995. For its 75th anniversary, the Cotton Bowl has emphasized tradition. Legendary Jim Brown, representing all former Cotton Bowl players, will return for the pregame coin flip. "In the end, the consensus was that a LSU vs. Texas A&M matchup would create one of the best matchups among all the bowl games," team selection chairman Fin Ewing said. "Not many bowls can say they have a matchup of old rivals that dates back over 100 years." READ MORE

Ticket City Bowl: Texas Tech to face Northwestern in Dallas on New Year's Day - Texas Tech closed out the Fair Park chapter of Cotton Bowl Classic history two years ago and will open the newest chapter of bowl play in the same stadium by facing Northwestern in the inaugural TicketCity Bowl on New Year's morning. READ MORE

Steve Ott, Adam Burish embrace roles as 'shut-down' line for Stars - If you put the Hanson Brothers and Guy Carbonneau in a blender, you might come up with the combination of Steve Ott and Adam Burish. Like the brothers from the movie Slap Shot, Ott and Burish are abusive and agitating. But, just as Carbonneau did as a Star from 1995-2000, the linemates are embracing their roles as shut-down players. "There's plenty of attitude there, but they don't just go out and stir things up for the sake of stirring things up," Stars captain Brenden Morrow said. "I think they're surprising a lot of teams because they've been real smart about picking their spots, and they've been really good about shutting down the other team's best players." READ MORE